Life and Style on Two Wheels

november is so my month

November 24, 2010

November is so my month! Besides it being my birthday month, T. & I were also featured in Momentum Magazine’s November issue. It’s nothing much to brag about, they didn’t actually feature us as much as a panda shot of us riding our Raleighs home one night. T. took the photo, so he gets full credit. But still, it’s so fun to see us in a cycling magazine!

I’m still waiting on my paper copy to see it in print and in real life. For now, I’m enjoying perusing the online version of this month’s issue…want to see it for yourself? Check it out here!

Thanks, Momentum!

Also, thank you so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes on my post yesterday! It made my day to keep returning to the site and see them. Our night went as planned – we biked to the restaurant despite it being 27F (my coldest bike ride yet!). But it made the food taste all the better and I felt like we were kids again, all bundled up and pedaling furiously through the evening air. After dinner, I settled in with Eat, Pray, Love while T. slaved away in the kitchen, baking the most delicious raspberry white chocolate cheesecake. (Now he’s really raised the stakes for the birthday cake I’ll have to make when it’s my turn).

Some of you asked about the movie in relation to the book. I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book and I really loved it. So I was hesitant to see the movie, not wanting to spoil the impression left by the book in my mind. I can’t say that the movie was anywhere near as good a the book (you just can’t convey the kind of depth the book offered in 120 minutes of screen time). But it was pretty good and I enjoyed all the beautiful scenery of Italy, India, and Bali. And all the Italian food…mmmm…. can I please go on an eating trip to Rome today? So if you haven’t seen either, start with the book. It’s a wonderful read. And if you’ve read the book or seen the movie, what were your thoughts on either of them? I’d love to hear them!

PS: I also read her follow-up book Committed: A Skeptic makes Peace with Marriage, in which she writes about the social as well as her personal history with marriage and I thought it extremely well researched and written. I would definitely recommend it for both skeptics and marriage pushers on your holiday gift list this year.

Related

I’m glad you admit to liking the book version of Eat, Pray, Love! I read it and enjoyed it, and then was surprised to see how much it got slammed on blogs, in reviews, etc. It wasn’t a perfect book, but it was a good escape with a good message. I’m interested in her second book, Committed, about marriage. I love nonfiction!

I also love nonfiction and memoirs a lot. I really liked Committed, she also comes at it from a pretty liberal perspective, so that assuaged any fears I had about this being some kind of pro-marriage propaganda book. It was nothing of the sort and I really liked the message of this second book as well. Let me know what you think if you read it!

I’m actually curious to read some of her earlier works now. In the preface of Committed, she writes about how her style and voice in these two memoirs is very different from how he was known for writing when she began her career. I really enjoy her voice and style and would love to read more by her. I’m also curious to read something that she said is a very different kind of work although I’m afraid that I might now like it as much.

I’m a bit late here with the birthday wishes. Happy Birthday from New Zealand! I have a November birthday too, although I am ten years older than you . . oh dear. ;)

I have no experience of Eat, Pray, Love – but I have been thinking about books and movies since I went and saw Harry Potter last night. It was very faithful to the book, and I am a huge fan of the book so I really enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was that good a ‘movie’. If you’d never read the book I don’t think it would make much sense at all. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time and thought the acting was superb, and would definitely be keen to see it again, but it seemed a bit self-indulgent and just for fans only. I guess all the rave reviews mean there are a lot of us fans out there!

I love the Harry Potter books and I really enjoyed the early movies a lot – movies 1-3 were wonderful and I saw them many times over. But it seems that with each movie, it gets a little less satisfying. Perhaps it’s because the books got so complex and each movie also tries to catch the viewer up on what happened in previous installments? It feels like it’s trying to cram too much into each one? I’m not sure why, but each movie has gotten a little less satisfying for me. But I’m still dying to see this latest one – hopefully this coming weekend!

Happy belated birthday, S! Our birthdays are a day apart–mine was yesterday :-) But oh my: white chocolate raspberry cheesecake? That sounds like the most heavenly way to celebrate #28. I hope it was as delicious as it sounds.

I share your feelings about Eat Pray Love book vs. movie. I really loved the book; I read it at a time when I needed an escape, something fun and uplifting to get me through some dark days. The book is very emotional in a way that the movie doesn’t quite capture. I thought the movie’s portrayal of the divorce was flippant and insulting. Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert was great, as were many of the other characters. And Rome! Oh my, I think Rome might be the best character of all. So I enjoyed the movie, but it doesn’t carry the same depth for me as the book.